Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-08-20

S'NhN bh'oh oat fAi'1s
that the weeds got TOO thick to allow of it,
and we were Obliged TO resort to the primi-
tive and most e%Xhausting resources of tow
ing her. For two hours we labored, Ma
hofned, Job, and myself, who was supposed
TO be strong enough to pull against the two
Of them, on the bank, whilst Leo sat III
the DOW OF the boat and brushed away the
weeds which collected round the cut-yyater
with Mahomed'S sword. AT dark we halt
ed TIL midnight to rest and enjoy the I
Quitoes, but when the moon got up we
went on again, taking advantage Of the
comparative cool Of the night. At dawn
we halted for three hours, and then started
once more, and labored on till about ten
o'clock, when q thunderstorm, accom-.
panied by q deluge of rain, overlook us,
and we spent the next six hours practically
under water.
DO not know that there is any necessity
for me to describe the next four days of
our voyage in detail, further than to say
that they were, on the whole, the most
miserable that / ever spent in my life,
forming one monotonous record of heavy
labor, heat, misery, and mosquitoes. All
the way we passed through a region of al
most endless swamp, and | can only at
tribute escape from fever and death to
the constant doses Of Quinine and purga-
tiyee which we took, and the unceasing
toll which VIZ We're forced to undergo. On
the third lay Of our journey up the canal
we had sighted a round hill that doomed
dimly through the vapors of the marsh,
and IN the evening of the fourth night,
when we campcd, this hill seemed to be
within hve-and-twenty or thirty miles of
US. We were by now utterly exhausted,
and felt as though our blistered hands
could not pull the boat Il yard further, and
that the best thing that we could do would
be to lie down and die in that dreadful
wilderness Of swamp. 1t was an awful
position, and one in which / trust no other
white inan viii ever be placed, and rs /
threw myself down in the boat TO sleep the
sleep Of utter exhaustion, / ] bitterly cursed
my folly III ever having been a party TO
such a mad undertaking, which could, |
saw, only end in our death in this CHASTITY
land. thought, | remember, rs / slowly
sunk into a dozc, Of what the appearance
of the boat and her unhappy crew would
be i'll two or three months time from that
night. There she would lie, with gaping
seams and half filled with fetid water, that,
when the mist-ladenw wind stirred her, would
wash backward and forward through our
Wondering bones, and that would be the
end OF her, and of those in her, who would
follow after myths and seek out the secrets
OF nature.
Already I seemed to hear the water rip
ping against dessicated bones and rafting
them together, rolling my skull against
M~ahomcd's, ana Mahomed'S against mine,
TIL at last Manomed'S stood straight up
upon It's yertebrn, and glared at me through
its empty e~ye-holes. and cursed me with
its grinning jaws, because ], a dog OF II
Christian, disturbed the last sleep Of a true
believer. Iopcncd my eyes, anu shUddered
at the horrid dream, and then ~huddered
again at something that was not a dream.
for two great eyes were cleaning down at
me through the misty darkness. ! strug-
gied up, and in my terror and confusion
shriekcd and shrieked AGAIN, so that the
others sprung up too, reoiing, and drunken
with sleep and fright. And then all of a
sudden there was a fash Of cold steel, and
a great spear was held against my throat,
and behind it other spears CLEANED cruelty.
peace" said Il voice, speaking in Ara
bic, or rather some dialect into which
Arabic entered very largely. "Who are ye
who come hither swimming on the water?
Speak, or ye die" and the steel pressed
sharply against my throat, sending a cold
chill through me.
w are travellers, and have come hither
by chance" | answered, in my best Arabic,
which appeared TO be understood, for the
mar turned his head, and addressing atall
form that lowered up in the background,
said, Father, shall we slay?"
'"What is the color of the men?" said a
deep voice in answer.
white is the color"
"Slay not,' was the reply. "Four suns
since was the word brought to me from
She-Who-must-bc- ObCycd, white men
come; if white men come, STAY them not
Let them be brought to the Ian OF She
acho-muSt-bc-obcycd Bring forth the men
and let that which they have with them be
brought also"
Come" said the man, half leading and
half dragging me from the boat, and as he
did so. / perceived other men doing the
same kind Office to my companions.
On the bank were gathered a company
of some fifty men. In the light ali | could
make out was that they were armed With
huge spears, were very tall, and strongly
built, comparatively light in color, and
nude, save for n loopard-skin tied round
the middle.
Presently Leo and job were bundled out
and placed beside me.
"What on earth is upp' said Leo, rub
bling his eyes.
"Oh, Lord! sir, here's a rum go!' ejacu.
lated job; and just at that moment a dis
turbance ensued, and Mahomed came tum-
bling between us, followed by a shadowy
form with an unified smear
".Allah! Allah" howled Mahomed, feel.
ing that he had little TO hope from man,
protect me! protect me!'
Father, it is a black one" said q voice.
"What said bc-Obeyed about
the black one?"
"She said naught, but Stay him not.
Come hither, my SON"
The man advanced, and the tall shadowy
form bent forward.
"Yes, yes" said the other, and chuckled
in a somewhat blood -curdling tone.
Are the three white men there" asked
the form.
eyes, they are there"
Then bring up that which is made ready
for them, and let the men take all that
can be brought from the thing that floats"
Hardly had he spoken when men came
running up, carrying on their shoulders
neither more nor less than p~alanquins-
four bearers and two spare men TO Il palan-
II.